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Breathing Techniques for Childbirth

Topic Overview

As your due date draws nearer, learn and practice controlled
breathing techniques for pain management during childbirth. Concentrating on
your breathing can help distract you from pain, relax both your muscles and
your mind, and keep your oxygen supply up.

If you haven't learned specific breathing techniques (such as Lamaze)
in a childbirth education class, practice the following breathing patterns
before you go into labor:

Belly breathing

In early labor, try belly breathing. As you inhale, expand your belly outward; as you
exhale, relax your belly downward.

Put one hand on your belly just below your ribs and the
other hand on your chest.

Take a deep breath in through your nose,
and let your belly push your hand out. Your chest should not move.

Breathe out through pursed lips as if you were whistling. Feel the
hand on your belly go in, and use it to push all the air out.

Do
this breathing in between or during contractions. Take your time with each breath.

Pant-pant-blow breathing

As your contractions become
more intense, exhale in a "pant-pant-blow" pattern, about 6 cycles per minute.

As your contraction starts, take a deep breath in through your nose.

Exhale in 2 short pants followed by one longer blow. You may have heard this described as "hee-hee-hooooo."

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